Shadows and Lies
by Sgt.Pepperony
Summary: Two girls vanish out of Broadchurch and it's up to Hardy and Miller to solve what happened to them. [Part 14 of New Memories, New Life] T *Complete*
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Shadows and Lies  
 **Author:**  
 **Fandom:** Broadchurch  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Pairing:** Alec/Ellie (established)  
 **Disclaimer:** Do not own characters. All property to ITV and Chibnall.

 **Okay, this is the final story in New Memories, New Life. Been a wild journey the last six months but it's time to bid farewell to this Broadchurch universe. So let's go out the way we started: with a murder.**

Chapter One

Ellie Hardy's suit felt somewhat stiff given she had spent the best part of two weeks in loose fitting dresses, shorts and swimwear. She had spent an amazing two weeks in Zante over Christmas with Alec and the kids so going back to work and normal life felt like a let-down. Still once she got down for breakfast she still seemed to perk up a bit. Alec was surprisingly chipper as he handed her a coffee.

"I'm not feeling well," Tom announced.

"Yes you are. Jet lag is not an excuse," Ellie replied sharply. "Just because it's the first day back it doesn't mean you have to bunk off."

"Probably not even going to do much anyway."

"Where are the little ones?"

"Living room. Come on we need to get to work," Alec said chugging his tea down.

Ellie just poked her head through the door and found a sight to behold. Fred's hair had been subjected to the torture of his younger sister Lauren. Said sister was dressed in a bumble bee costume.

"Oh god, Fred, why did you let her do this to you?" she complained as she started to get the sparkly clips out.

"You said I had to play nicely with her."

"She's two. God knows what she could have put in." She looked over to Lauren who was playing about with the toy kitchen. "Lauren you can't go to school dressed like that."

"Can."

"No arguments young lady." Thus began a mad ten minutes of tantrums before Lauren and Ellie emerged again. Lauren was scowling and in normal clothes. Tom had left when the commotion started while Alec had about managed to salvage Fred's hair. "Right, we ready?"

Ellie felt a strange sort of foreboding as she walked through the town to work, gripping onto the pushchair containing her daughter. On the surface, everything seemed normal. Most of their friends had greeted them as they went about their daily business. Even her own family was normal. Lauren was singing in nonsense words while Fred was practising his spelling.

Alec gripped onto Fred's hand as they crossed the road to the primary school. Fred waved goodbye from across the road and she did wave back. However, Ellie's attention was drew to one of the other mums approaching.

"Ellie? Have you seen Zoe or Maisie anywhere?"

"Zoe Lakes and Maisie Jenning?"

"Yeah, we were at a late Christmas party last night when they went to the shops and never came back to Sarah's. They're worried sick. They have been out looking for them all night."

"Have they reported it yet?"

"They were here a minute ago asking the teachers if they'd seen the girls. I think they're onto it now."

After dropping Lauren at the pre-school, Alec and Ellie made their way to work with Ellie briefing Alec on what she'd been told, "Zoe Lakes and Maisie Jenning, both ten, best friends. Their mums were my friends in school. They just vanished last night."

"They just disappeared?"

"Seems so. They said they were just heading to the shop for sweets and they never came home."

"That sounds a bit disconcerting."

"If any of our kids went missing, I think disconcerting is the last thing I would be thinking."

By the time they had arrived at work, the missing person reports had come through. Alec sat and looked pensively at the board that was being put together. The picture of the two girls, one with red hair and the other with brown hair, looked on at him, both smiling away. Ellie looked directly at her husband. She could see the flashbacks in his eyes. Two missing girls is what landed Alec in Broadchurch in the first place. Ellie was hoping this would be over by the end of the day, though she had a foreboding feeling this was going to turn difficult.

"Sir, we're ready to begin," DS Carrie Lewis announced, snapping Alec out of his thoughts.

Ellie took pride of place by her husband. Since Alec took the promotion to DCI at Broadchurch Police Station two years previously, he and Ellie had maintained a professional relationship at work despite their personal life as husband and wife. It was not as though it was a massive secret to their colleagues; in a small town like Broadchurch, relationships between colleagues were not uncommon but so long as they weren't letting it get in the way of their work. It did not mean that Ellie wouldn't steal a quick snog when they were alone in his office. Nor did it mean they refrained having pictures of their family on their desks.

"Right, Lewis telling me everything you know so far," Alec ordered the DS.

"Okay so Zoe and Maisie are best friends. Zoe's mum and dad were hosting a delayed Christmas party, the girls said they were going to the shop to get some sweets. That was four yesterday afternoon. It takes ten minutes to get to the shop and back so by five, the family started to search the town. They called the police about seven last night."

"Have you pulled the CCTV from last night?" Ellie inquired.

"That's being delivered this afternoon. In the meantime, we've got uniform on door-to-door, car stops and question people in the street. Families are being assigned a liaison officer."

"Good work Lewis," Alec complimented. "Right, DI Brant and I will interview the families. Tonight, we will get have a press conference at the school. We have two school girls missing. The nationals are going to be all over this like a rash."

"Also, do we know who was at the party?" Ellie asked.

"Yes, when we went to the house last night, we took everyone's details," Lewis answered handing the list over.

"Right, while DCI Hardy and I are speaking to the families, I want about four of you to go to get statements from everyone you can. I don't care if it's brief, even the smallest detail is significant."

"On it ma'am."

The team immediately got to work and Ellie went to grab her jacket from her office while Alec went to his office to grab his jacket. He glanced at the photos on his desk. One had Lauren beaming away in her neon pink rain coat. Next to Fred in his yellow rain coat and Ellie in her orange jacket, it was like living with a bunch of highlighters. He wouldn't change them for the world.

"Alec, come on," Ellie called as she passed his office door.

"Coming love." Ellie smiled. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just cute."

-o-

Mrs Sarah Lakes' hands were shaking as she handed Ellie and Alec their cups of tea. Ellie gave a sympathetic smile while Alec thanked her.

"What do you want to know?" asked Mrs Lakes.

"Did Zoe tell you where she was going before she and Maisie left?" Ellie asked.

"Yes. She said they'd be back in fifteen minutes."

"Do you know if she was in contact with anyone?" Alec asked, jotting his notes down.

"She's ten."

"In some cases like this a child might have been talking to someone on the internet, and that person might not be who they said they were," Ellie explained her husband's implication.

"You mean like a paedophile?"

"Possibly," Alec answered. "It's one scenario we could take."

"Though the other is that they could have run away," Ellie added.

"Come on Ellie, you know Zoe wasn't that type of girl and neither is Maisie," Sarah snapped.

"I know, but it is an option we need to pursue in order to eliminate it." Ellie put her tea down. "Is it okay for us to take Zoe's laptop or tablet?"

"She didn't have her own computer or tablet. She used the family computer."

"Well, is it okay for us to take that? Anything we do find will be copied and the computer will return to you in due course," Alec reassured.

She nodded and he left to call SOCO down to the house. Ellie picked her tea up again and sipped it nervously.

"Ellie?" Sarah asked. "You're going to find her aren't you? You're a mum so I know you'll try."

Ellie blinked. She can't make any guarantees, not with a case like this. She had a feeling that one way or another the girls were coming home.

-o-

Miss Carla Jenning seemed to be in a more focused state despite her daughter's disappearance. Ellie suspected it was because the woman thought it would be easier to answer questions if she wasn't an emotional wreck.

"How did Maisie appear to you the last few days?" Alec asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. She wasn't quiet or hiding anything."

"Nothing to suggest she may have been in contact with anyone she didn't know?"

"You don't think this is..."

"It's a possibility at this point," Ellie answered not wanting to confirm something she did not know herself. "It does mean we will have to look at Maisie's computer."

"That's fine. I mean it's not like you can look at her phone."

"She took her phone with her?" Alec asked.

"For emergencies. It's not one of these smart phones, just a basic Nokia."

"Do you know if Zoe had a phone?"

"Knowing her mother, I would be shocked if she didn't have one."

"How did the girls seem before they left?" asked Ellie.

"They were in a good mood. Nothing out of the ordinary. They just wanted sweets as any other ten year olds would."

Alec furrowed his brow in confusion but the more he heard, the more he was getting a picture of abduction.

-o-

"So we have to exclude the families," Ellie said over lunch. They were sitting on the wall by the arcade and looking out over the ocean.

"All the witnesses say that no other family member left the house," Alec added. "Can't see any reason as to why they would be involved in their daughters' disappearance. Though. Miss Jenning said something that confused me. What did she mean by knowing Sarah that she would be shocked if Zoe didn't have a mobile phone?"

Ellie put her sandwich down, "Before Zoe was born, Sarah had a boy who was a stillbirth. She's always been protective of Zoe because of that. I thought she was just being a bit overdramatic but I understood her a lot better after Danny died and Lauren was born. I understand the fear of losing a child." Alec rested his hand over hers. Ellie smiled a bit and threaded her fingers through his. "I would hate for her to lose another. Even if I have a bad feeling about this."

"I know." He kissed her forehead before returning to his sandwich. "So what you thinking?"

"I can't imagine the girls running away."

"So abduction?"

"I hate to say it but it has to be."

-o-

A week and over a few hundred phone calls later, the girls still had not been found, dead or alive. They did manage to piece together the girls' last known movements: they did get sweets from the shop and had apparently moved towards the church, which was where the trail went cold. Reverend Coates insisted that he had not seen the girls, though he had said he was down in his study at the time so he might have missed them.

In addition, the press had begun to descend on the town yet again. No one seemed to be the least bit surprised, least of all Alec. He had given the details of the last known whereabouts but only in the hope someone's memory would be jogged.

CCTV had turned up nothing significant. Frustrated, Alec had decided to expand the search to the fields and woodland area. Ellie was getting a bit annoyed herself. The computers had bought nothing up either. The IM between the girls was just littered with various things only a ten year old would care about.

"Admittedly, I am surprised that Zoe was allowed to have instant messaging," Ellie commented as she poured herself another tea. She passed the kettle to Alec.

"Tess was like that with Daisy. She allowed it but she would check who she was friends with on Facebook and who she was talking to on IM."

"Surprised you weren't the one doing that."

"I might have asked Tess to do it. She knows her way around a computer better than me."

"Parenting software. I bought it so Tom didn't wander onto a webpage he should not be looking at."

"Did it work?"

"Until he started that computer club and managed to uninstall the software on his computer. It was not a fun conversation when I found out he had been downloading inappropriate games onto his desktop."

"Define inappropriate."

"I don't know Battleaxe 3 or something like that."

At that point Alec's phone rang, "It's Lewis. I suppose I'd better answer it." He went to his office and answered the call. "Lewis."

 _"We think we might have stumbled upon something in Elms Wood sir. It looks like two bodies. Both look to be young girls."_

"Right, don't move. DI Brant and I are on our way."

They arrived at the wood and found Lewis standing near two decomposing, slightly skeletal and charred bodies lying by a tree. No effort had been made to conceal them by whoever left them there.

Ellie struggled not to retch while Alec's face paled. He breathed deeply before he ordered, "Get SOCO here now, cordon off the area and don't breathe a word to anyone until we know who these girls are. We can't jump to conclusions."

Despite his own words, Alec knew who the girls were and so did everyone around him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Ellie woke sharply and felt clammy all over. She sat up and ran her hands over her face, groaning in the process. She couldn't stop seeing the image of the girls' mangled bodies. It was horrible and possibly the worst thing she had ever seen. Why someone could do that to a child, she could never understand. She rubbed her eyes and lay back down again.

"Ali bali, ali bali bee, Sittin' on yer daddy's knee..." Ellie could hear singing coming from next door. It sounded like Alec.

She climbed out of bed and went to Lauren's bedroom where Alec was sitting in the rocking chair and had the toddler on his lap. Lauren looked sleepy and had her tiny hand clutching onto Alec's t-shirt. There was an ache in Ellie's heart. It felt like only yesterday that she was nursing Lauren in that same chair.

"El, you're staring."

"Sorry. Got distracted by the sight of you two. What you doing up?"

"She had a bad dream. Got her a drink, read her a book or two," he explained softly as he played with his daughter's curls.

"Poor love," Ellie replied coming over to them. Lauren looked to have finally fallen asleep with her small mouth wide open. The soft light of the lamp made the splay of freckles on her cheeks and nose more pronounced. "She looks so precious like this."

"You okay El?"

"It's nothing. Except I can't seem to get the image of Zoe and Maisie out my head."

"We don't know it's them yet."

"I feel it in my gut Alec. I know it them and I can't stop thinking about how they were just disposed."

"I know. I could barely get to sleep before Lauren woke me up."

"How you holding up? All things considered."

"It always hits me. Sandbrook was just the worst out of all of them." He kissed the top of Lauren's head, got out the chair and tucked her in the toddler bed. "I'm not going to go crazy and obsess over this. I won't let it get to me."

Ellie went over the Alec and put her hands on his hips, "I'm not saying you should not allow it to affect you, but please remember that you have a family here that need you just as much as the Lakes and Jennings will."

Alec smiled softly and pressed his lips softly against hers. Ellie wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. She moaned and pulled him back to their bed. Just as Alec had started to kiss Ellie's neck, a phone rang and Ellie groaned.

"That's mine," she muttered. She grabbed it and answered it. "Hello? ... Can it not wait until tomorrow? ... Right be there now." She put her phone down and pushed Alec to the side. "Autopsies are in."

"They want us to come in?"

"Yeah. I really don't want to know."

"I can go if you... I mean one of us is going to have to keep an eye on the kids."

"Sure. You go." Ellie kissed him lightly. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Once Alec had pulled on a pair of jeans and a jacket, he left. Ellie's thoughts didn't escape her and she found herself checking on Tom and Fred. Both boys were dead to the world, though Ellie's heart also ached because they were both growing up too quickly. Tom was now an inch shorter than Alec and Fred had lost all his baby fat and was rather lanky for his age. She also noted one thing when Fred slept: he had begun to look like Joe around his nose. She dreaded the day that they would have to tell Fred the truth of his parentage and his biological father's actions.

Even though Joe was dead and they had no fear of him turning up to hurt them again, his ghost still hung over their lives.

She tucked Fred back in since he had kicked his duvet down his bed and kissed him on the forehead. When she returned to her own bed, she found Lauren sitting in the centre of it.

"Bad dream?" Ellie asked tiredly. Lauren nodded and rubbed her eyes. Ellie thought her daughter might be having her on but she had no energy to put Lauren in her own bed. "Just this once."

Ellie joined her in the bed and Lauren snuggled up against her.

-o-

The next morning, in the office, Alec briefed Ellie first on the autopsy results and then the team. Thanks to the weather causing the rapid decomposition, the actual cause of death was undetermined, but it could look to be asphyxiation. The charring looked to occur post-mortem, as though someone had tried to burn any trace of evidence. Thankfully, no evidence of sexual assault had occurred despite the bodies not being clothed.

"We are looking into dental records to identify the bodies. I am expecting the results this afternoon. Until then, do not speak to the press. DI Brant and I will inform the families. Then I will make a short statement to the media saying that two girls were found," he explained clearly so everyone understood the seriousness of what he was saying. "SOCO are still looking at the scene. However, initial observations suggests the girls were not killed in the wood. In the meantime, double check every statement, see if there are any cracks in the alibis and make sure no one is changing their story."

-o-

With the families informed, statement made to the media and statements all double checked, all that was to do was to wait for the dental records to arrive.

Ellie felt the need to distract herself. Although she wasn't as close to Sarah and Carla as she was when they were fifteen, Ellie still felt the deaths of the girls hit her in the same way Danny had. Granted, she was not a crying wreck but deep down her heart was breaking for the families.

So while they waited, Ellie went to the cafe where Lucy was with Lauren. With Lauren only in pre-school for half-days, a completely sober Lucy took on a bit of the child care, mostly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It had been good for Lucy since looking after her niece had made her happier than she'd been in a long time.

"Mummy!" Lauren exclaimed as Ellie walked through the door. Ellie smiled brightly as her daughter practically flew into her arms.

"Oh my sweet girl," Ellie whispered as she kissed the top of Lauren's head. "You had a good day at school?"

"If she says yes, she's lying," Lucy injected. "Little madam called her teacher a cow."

"Tom is in for it when I get home," Ellie sat down and took her coffee.

"You okay El? You seem tense."

"Can't say why."

"So are they the girls or..."

"Again, I can't say." Ellie started to play with Lauren's hair. "I just want to not talk about it, Luce, so can we drop it."

"So, how is your sex life?"

"Not that. And especially not around Lauren."

"Come on. She's not going to remember."

"It's fine Lucy. Just drop it."

"How's Alec holding up?"

"He's fine." Ellie was just about to grab her sandwich when someone approached her. "You alright Adam."

"Is it safe, Ellie, you know, to take our kids out?"

"I can't say anything. Not now at least."

"There are two dead kids. How many more is it going to be? You have kids yourself."

"Alright mate back off," Lucy warned. "She can't say anything."

The man walked away and Ellie clung closer to Lauren.

"He's just a worried parent," Ellie murmured.

"Doesn't give him the right to bombard you with questions you don't know the answer to yet."

Ellie gave her sister the look that said, "Bit rich coming from you."

"I'm your sister. I am allowed."

-o-

When Ellie arrived back at the office she came bearing the gift of decaf tea for Alec. He was getting off the phone as she walked through his door.

"That was Dental Protection. Both are Zoe and Maisie," he explained.

Ellie nodded, "That's something we expected."

"We'll need to confirm it to the families."

"I know." Ellie rubbed her head. "Sorry, I had someone bombard me in the cafe, asking if we had to keep our kids safe. I didn't say anything because I knew as much as he did." Alec walked over to her and pulled her into an embrace. A warmth came over Ellie as she relaxed into his arms. "Do you think this is isolated?"

"I think so. Looks rather amateurish."

"You going to say that tonight at the press conference?"

"I'll have to. It won't put everyone at ease but I think this might have been an accident." Ellie pulled out of the hug and pressed her lips against his. Alec responded by sliding his tongue into her mouth. Ellie moaned at the taste of him. After a few moments, Alec pulled out of the kiss. "We have to tell the families."

"Two visits in one day. Haven't spent this much time with them since before uni." She put her head on his chest and sighed. "That was morbid."

"Was it meant to be a joke?"

-o-

It was the press conference and Ellie could only watch from the sidelines. Alec had more experience with this stuff than her and he was the lead investigator. Four years ago, before they were together, she had been lead investigator on a murder case and had struggled with media interviews. She had practically read her statement off a sheet so robotically that it didn't feel like her at all. So it was a relief that Alec was there, even if he was just as awkward as she was on camera. The previous DCI wasn't as hands on and Ellie couldn't imagine Alec settling for paperwork and more paperwork.

The room was rammed with journalists, photographers and camera people. Ellie thinks no wonder. Danny Latimer got a few at the start while Molly Carlisle had a few more than that. Their sex played a massive part so two young girls turning up dead was only going to double media interest.

"Does Broadchurch have to worry about its children? In the last five years, most of the murders have been minors," one journalist asked.

"As far as we are aware, Zoe and Maisie's deaths are an isolated incident. From the examination of both girls and the area where she was found, it doesn't appear to be pre-meditated..."

Ellie listened to the last bit in her head over again. Pre-meditated. Assuming the killer was the same person and the cause of death was assumed to be asphyxiation, it was impossible to suggest both girls were killed at the exact same time. One had to have been killed before the other. The first might have not been pre-meditated. The second...

On the way home, Ellie told Alec her thoughts.

"You're right," he commented.

"Thanks. Right, early night or telly? We have a long day tomorrow."

"Early night." He grinned and pinned her against the front door. Ellie hummed in content as Alec kissed her neck.

"Alright slow down." She giggled as she turned around and opened the door. There was a pile of letters on the side, though the one that stumped her was the one that had Mrs E. Miller rather than Hardy, her legal surname. When she opened it, her breath escaped her. "It's from Joe's mum. She wants to meet me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Ellie was still reading the letter when Alec came to bed. He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her close.

"What are you thinking El?"

"I don't know what to do about this. On the one hand, it's not her fault her son turned out to be a child killer. However, I feel as though I would be opening a can of worms we closed a long time ago."

"She is Tom and Fred's grandmother at the end of the day. I know from what happened with my father that avoidance doesn't work. It only makes it worse."

"I suppose you're right."

"I could come with you."

"No. This is something I have to do myself."

"Okay, I'll let you do that."

Alec kissed her softly and for a blissful while the letter was forgotten.

-o-

The team had retraced the girls' steps about twenty times and were still hitting a dead end. There was nothing to suggest the girls had been taken off the pavement.

"What if they knew their killer?" Lewis suggested.

"Wouldn't surprise me in a town like this," Ellie replied tapping her keyboard in thought. "I think we should start with the school. The families are not involved in this, so the next best people to look at are their teachers and friends."

"You want me to call the head?"

Ellie nodded. Once Lewis left, Ellie got out the letter and scanned it. She knew she had to ring Joe's mother. She debated whether to do it now or later.

She saw the photos of the kids. Fred with his face covered in cake, Tom and Daisy at the funfair and a two-day-old Lauren asleep on an also sleeping Alec's chest. Ellie forgets how small Lauren actually was when she was born.

After two minutes of debate, she dialled the number left at the bottom of the letter.

"Hi, is this Mrs Carys Miller? I'm Ellie… I was married to your son."

-o-

"I don't know about you DCI Hardy but my staff are respectable enough. I don't know why you would expect any of them to be child killers," the head teacher commented as she led Alec, Ellie and Brian around the school.

"From my experience, killers tend not to be the person you were expecting," Alec replied.

While the head wittered on about something, Ellie whispered, "I called Joe's mother."

"And?"

"I'm meeting her in a couple days."

"Are you sure you want to do thing?"

"I don't know. It feels kind of rude to ignore her when she's tried to reach out. Also her letter was very vague as to why she wanted to meet me."

"You got to do what you got to do Ellie."

"Why are you so good to me?"

"You can thank me later." For some reason they ended up in the janitor's shed. Alec and Brian got curious and began to look around. "You know there is a lot of bleach in this room."

"You don't think that Mr Hordly did this do you?" the head teacher accused.

"How many people have access to this room?" Ellie asked.

"Mr Hordly, myself, a few other teachers."

"Can I have those teachers' names?"

"Certainly."

She left and Ellie, after putting her hands in gloves opened a bin and the sudden stench of smoke overwhelmed her. She started spluttering and almost choking on the smell. She felt sick in the back of her throat as well.

"Ellie? You alright there?" Brian asked.

"I think something has been burning in here."

Alec rushed over to her and rubbed her back as she coughed. He asked, "Do you need any water?"

"I'm fine."

Brian had already opened the bin and found what looked to be the charred remains of clothing, "Does this look like it belonged to one of the girls?"

-o-

It was two days later when Ellie found herself in a roadside café about thirty miles out of Broadchurch. She didn't want people's gossip to reach the Latimers, though even Beth would understand the need to settle things in order for it to eventually be put to rest.

Carys Miller was sitting calmly at one of the tables. Ellie had not seen this woman for years. She and Joe had done a quickie wedding when they found out she was expecting Tom so it was really a chance meeting at a Christmas dinner. The nerves that were already running through her veins were at its height.

"Hi, Carys. It's Ellie."

"The years haven't done you any harm."

Ellie sat down, "You look well."

There was an awkward pause before Carys noted the rings on Ellie's wedding finger, "You remarried?"

"Yeah, almost three years now. It's Ellie Hardy now."

"Does he treat you well?"

"Can't do enough for me. We have a little girl together."

"How are my grandsons?"

"They're well. Growing up too fast for my liking."

"You have pictures?"

"Yeah." Ellie got out her wallet and showed the fairly recent picture she had that contained her sons. It was one back in the summer in the park. Fred had his face covered in ice cream, Tom looked as though he wanted to get out the photo as soon as possible and Daisy was struggling to hold onto a fussy Lauren. "There they are. Tom's sixteen and Fred is almost seven."

"He looks like Joseph when he was Fred's age." Ellie recoiled slightly at that statement. "Ellie, I know that you and Joseph were not on good terms near the end but I would have thought your sons would have come to his funeral."

"With all due respect, not on good terms is really putting what happened mildly. He nearly ruined my life. It was Tom's choice not to go and Fred… Well he doesn't remember who Joe was to him. And I am sorry, but I was relieved when Joe died."

Carys' mouth thinned a bit, "I was too if I am going to be honest."

Ellie looked stunned, "Really?"

"He wasn't an easy child. Very temperamental for some reason and on a few occasions plates would be thrown and walls would be punched. At one point, he grabbed his younger brother around the throat."

Ellie felt her hand tremble a moment, "Was he ever abusive to you?"

"No. It was always his father and brother that got the brunt. Mind you Michael gave as good as he got."

"Did you ever think he was capable of murder?"

"When I heard what had happened to that poor boy, I had a bad feeling Joseph had something to do with it. I didn't say anything because I thought maybe I was just being paranoid but when they said they had arrested a thirty-eight year old man, I knew it was him."

"I wished I had known. Two whole months he strung me along and at no point did he think of me or the boys."

"He doesn't. Listen Ellie, you're clearly happy now. I feel as though I have opened up some wounds for you."

"No it's fine. I just don't know what I am going to do about Fred. He doesn't know that he was adopted by Alec, and part of me wants him to never know. That said, I know that he's going to find out eventually."

"I would think it best for him to never find out as well."

"Easier said than done. I've seen this sort of thing hurt many people."

"Well, my suggestion is that you be honest with him. Maybe not go into all the details until he's old enough but enough."

"Thank you for that."

"The reason I sent a letter is because Joseph left these letters for the boys. It's up to you if you want to give it to them but I thought I may as well get rid of them."

"Right," Ellie said as the letters were pushed forward.

Without even thinking, Ellie took the letters and put them in her bag, unable to make a decision now.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Ellie had to lean against the front door when she arrived home. Her meeting with Joe's mother had left her wondering who the hell she had married, more so than when she found out about Danny.

She could hear the sound of chaos coming from the kitchen and she wondered what was going on. She found Alec trying to clear up dry spaghetti off the floor. Judging by the look on her two-year-old's face, she knew who the culprit was. Lauren looked like butter wouldn't melt but her recent naughty behaviour was starting to test Ellie's patience.

Tom was on his laptop at the kitchen table. Ellie felt soppy and hugged him from behind.

"Mum? Why are you getting all mushy?" he asked rather confused.

"Just thinking that my little boy is all grown up."

She could sense he was rolling his eyes. She didn't care.

Once dinner was finished, Tom was made to do his homework, Fred was watching cartoons and Lauren was being prepared for bed. Ellie helped her daughter into pyjamas and thought about the letters given to her. She knew she'd had to allow Tom to make his own choice about the letter. She doubted that he would read it. He had cut all ties with Joe, ignoring all the prison visitation requests before Joe had died, not going to the funeral, and called the police when Joe broke into the Latimer house. All Ellie would expect him to do it throw the letter away.

"Mummy sorry," Lauren said in her broken command of speech.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Getti floor. You sad."

"I'm not sad about that. I do wish you were better behaved, but I could never be mad at you." Lauren opened her arms for a hug. Ellie smiled as her daughter wrapped her little arms and snuggled her chubby little body against her. She had a lot to be grateful for: three healthy children, a loving husband, a fantastic stepdaughter and a great job. She shouldn't be harping on the past. "I love you."

"Love you Mummy."

Ellie's heart swelled. She only had start saying 'I love you' recently and her heart seized every time her little girl said it. Only this time, she started crying a bit.

Alec appeared at the door and looked both concerned and bemused at the sight of his wife crying, "Ellie, love, you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied with a wobble in her voice. She let go of Lauren who looked just as confused as her father.

"Come on sweetheart, let's get you tucked in," he said softly as he picked Lauren up.

Ellie retreated to her and Alec's bedroom while Alec put Lauren to bed. She could hear him reading 'The Tiger Who Came For Tea' and then sing 'Ali Bali Bee'.

Her head felt an absolute mess. She wanted it to be stress, but since they had come home from Zante she had been feeling a bit off. She thought it was the case and the letters getting to her, but something didn't feel right.

"Ellie?" Alec asked softly as he came into their room. "You feeling alright?"

"I don't know." She sniffed and Alec lay down on the bed. Ellie rested her head on his shoulder as he hugged her close. "I don't even know where to start."

"Tell me how the meeting went."

"Turns out I married a borderline sociopath. He used to hurt his little brother."

"You couldn't have known. I mean it's not as though she warned you."

"I don't think even she knew what Joe would become." Ellie sighed. "We need to tell Fred that you adopted him."

"How?"

"We don't have to give him the whole story. He's only six. Besides, you are the only person who he really knows as Dad."

"Okay, but we do it together."

"Agreed." Ellie sealed the deal with a peck on the lips. "You get any news on those clothes we found?"

"The fabric and colours match what the girls were wearing when they left the house."

"So it's someone in the school?"

"Someone who has access to the caretaker's room."

-o-

After Fred had been put to bed, Ellie went to check on Tom. He had finished his homework and now was entertaining himself with a video game.

"Can I talk to you a moment?" she asked. He paused the game and let her sit on the bed. "So, there is no easy way of saying this so I am just going to come out with it. Joe's mum sent me a letter saying she wanted to meet me. I thought it would be best to see what she wants. She gave me two letters, one for you, one for Fred. They're from him."

She gave the letter to Tom. Tom held it for a moment before tearing it through the middle. "He doesn't deserve to have his say. Not to me or Fred."

"Okay, I just thought it would be better to be honest with you."

"Thanks for that Mum."

"Listen, it doesn't mean she's going to try to plead his case. She just wanted to get rid of them I suppose."

"Mum, you have to stop letting him in. You get upset and stressed."

"I know."

"He's long gone and he isn't coming back."

"I know. It's just that Fred is the only person in this family that isn't aware of what happened."

"You're not going to tell him are you?"

"He might find out sooner or later. I'd rather he found out now than when he is thirty."

"Alec think it's a good idea?"

"Yeah."

"Well you have to think about how you word it."

"I know."

-o-

It was two in the morning and Ellie couldn't sleep. Alec was snoring softly beside her and completely conked out.

It wasn't Joe or even the girls she was stressed over. They at least narrowed the list of suspects down. She felt clammy for some reason as well, as though her body temperature was off. By chance, she rested her hand on her stomach and then something hit her.

She sat up and counted her fingers, "Fuck."

-o-

On the way to the school, Alec was talking about how they would have to talk to each person who had access to the caretaker's office. Ellie was away with her thoughts.

"El?" Alec asked and she snapped out her thoughts. "Did you hear a word I said?"

"Talk to those who have access."

"Ellie? You alright? You have something on your mind?"

"We should go to lunch. We've not really had much time together recently."

"Other than those nights in Zante?"

"It's been two weeks. Besides, I need to talk to you about something."

"Nothing you can't tell me now?"

"It's a bit delicate."

"Fine, whatever you want. We have work to do."

The first person who they questioned was the headteacher. Then the deputy head, then student support officer, then the cleaners and finally the caretaker. They were all asked the same question: where were they the night of the girls' disappearance. All answered differently. The head and deputy were at a conference in London, the student officer was in Spain, and the cleaners and caretaker were at home.

"So it narrows it down to the cleaners and caretaker then," Ellie stated as they walked into the cafe.

"Not quite. We'll have to interview them again sooner. We'll have to get the facts straight on what they did and get their alibis straight." They took a table and Ellie took Alec's hand. "What's up?"

Ellie took a deep breath and squeezed his hand a bit tighter, "Alec, I think-"

Suddenly Alec's phone rang. He glanced at it at the moment, "Talking of Brian."

"Bloody Brian," Ellie thought.

Alec hit the ignore button, "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I think I might be-" Ellie was interrupted when his phone rang again. "Sounds like Brian may have hit on something."

"Suppose we'll have to get back to work. Sorry."

"It's fine. Stupid to have lunch when we have a double murder to solve."

"Listen you get yourself something to eat and get some rest at home. I'll cover the calls. I'll speak to you later."

"Okay." He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

-o-

"What do you want Brian?" Alec asked walking into his office.

"I realised the door to the caretakers room showed no sign of forced entry. Was I interrupting something?"

"You were actually, not that it's any of your business. Is that it?"

"We also found some tyre tracks in the wood where the girls were found. Ground had chalk deposits that would have stuck to the tyres."

"Right, thanks for that. We'll let you know when we need you."

"Cheers. Is Ellie alright?"

"Why?"

"She's been a bit off lately. Spaced out. Not really Ellie is it?"

"I think she might just be taking the case to heart. I've done it."

"Mate, just look after her."

Alec rolled his eyes. Brian still had a torch for Ellie nearly five years on, "You do your job and I'll do mine."

-o-

When the day was over and all the alibis been confirmed, Alec returned home and found Ellie asleep on the sofa with Lauren also asleep on her stomach. It wasn't half a perfect image. Two of the three women in his life asleep and peaceful together was enough to make his heart sing.

He lifted Lauren up and she snuggled her little head against his shoulder. Ellie stirred at the disappearance of her daughter's weight on her. She blinked the sleep from her eyes.

"Hey," he whispered. Ellie sat up and patted her hand on the seat. Alec sat down and Ellie lay half her body on top of him. "Brian's worried about you."

"Trying to get into my knickers as usual. Probably wrecked his marriage."

"Not surprised. Dirty Brian on the warpath. If he keeps doing it though I might have to have a few words with him."

"Alec, are you worried about me?"

"You have been off a bit. Just thought it was stress."

"Well, it's part of it. I think I might be going through menopause."

"Don't be daft love. You're not old enough."

"Why else would I be feeling the way I am?"

"I don't know. You are a bit stressed."

"Am I?"

"Yes. The last few days have been a bit heavy."

"I don't think that's it."

"Just don't think about it. I'm here for you."

"I know. Just hold me."

He kissed the top of her head and held her close. He thought back to the alibis and then realised something. The address of one of the cleaners was the same as the caretakers.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The house of Lisa McNann and Phillip Hordly was directly opposite the school, which put them in a really compromising position as far as Alec was concerned. Alec had turned up on his own while Ellie was at a doctor's appointment she managed to get first thing. She wanted to get a confirmation as to why she had been feeling off, though she still was insisting it was menopause.

"Is it a crime to share a house?" Lisa asked.

"No. We just noted that you both gave the same alibi without mentioning your relationship," Alec replied. "It's a significant thing you should have mentioned."

"Do you mention your relationship with your DI?"

"That's a different matter altogether. Listen we just need to get the facts straight. What exactly were you and Philip doing the night the girls disappeared?"

"Watching telly."

"What did you watch?"

"Can't remember. Something on the trash channels."

"Right... Was Phillip with you the whole night?"

"Yes."

Alec wasn't certain he believed her. Since the boyfriend wasn't there, Alec would have to ensure what he said was the same things.

Ellie was back in her office when he arrived at work. She looked a little dizzy but it was probably due to not having eaten, hence why he had brought her a chicken sandwich.

"Oh god, can I marry you again?" she asked jokingly as she took a bite out the sandwich.

"How did it go?"

"They took some blood. Results should be back in a couple days."

"You feel alright though?"

"I'll be glad when I get a clear idea of what is going on. Will you still love me?"

"Course I will."

"I probably am going to be a nightmare."

"Ellie, I spent eight months tackling your moods, getting food for you in the middle of the night, comforting you when you were upset over something mundane and nearly suffering a heart attack again because you were always aroused. I think I can cope."

"I didn't jump you all the time when I was pregnant."

"Then what do you call the orange slice incident."

"Shouldn't eat those oranges so seductively."

"I wasn't."

Ellie giggled, "Maybe we should attempt something different. Ever had sex at work?"

"Once."

"Any good?"

"For what it was."

"Maybe we should go and finish this conversation in your office."

"As happy as that would make me, we do have a case to solve."

"How was it?"

"You remember how Claire Ripley changed her story each time?" Ellie nodded. "Lisa McMann seems to have acquired the same talent."

"You think she knows something about what happened to the girls?"

"We'll have to send SOCO round to have a look."

"I'll get onto it now."

Alec smiled and left her office. Ellie put her sandwich down and spat the chewed up remnants in her mouth into the bin, holding back the need to throw up.

-o-

With SOCO at the house, Ellie makes a trip to the school to meet the elusive Phillip Hordly. She finds him in the canteen mending a light.

"Phillip Hordly, I'm DI Brant," she announced calmly.

"What do you want?"

His tone didn't sound cooperative but Ellie held her ground, "I just need to talk to you about the night Maisie and Zoe disappeared."

"Of course you do."

"Was that meant to be sarcastic Mr Hordly?"

"Always go for the janitor."

"It's not that. We did find the girls clothes in your room, or were you not informed of that?"

"Look, if you have something to ask, just say it."

Ellie was getting frustrated with the attitude the man was emitting but once she let out a sharp breath, she asked, "Where were you the night the girls went missing?"

"In."

"In where?"

"My house."

"Right and what we're you doing?"

"Having a couple drinks with mates."

"Right, did you go out at all?"

"No."

"Do you have the names of these mates?"

-o-

"I don't know about you Dad but is Fred going to be old enough to understand what Joe did?" Daisy asked over a Skype call with her father.

"I think if we keep the details minimal then it should be fine. I mean he's just a little kid."

"You sound as though you're worried about something else? You think Fred will reject you?"

"I don't know. It's a lot to take in for him. We'll see how it goes."

"It's not as though he can go seek Joe out."

"True." The office door knocked. It was Lewis. "Darlin', I have to go. I'll call you later. Love you."

"Love you too Dad."

The line went dead and Alec allowed Lewis to enter.

"Sir, SOCO couldn't find anything in the house but Brian said it smelt like bleach. The industrial stuff, not the shop stuff."

At that point Ellie stormed in, "I think we got them. Their details of the night don't add up and the names Hordly gave were at the party."

"Okay, we do need to approach this carefully though," Alec insisted. "We don't have enough evidence to charge them yet."

"I'll call DBS, see if they could work in a school in the first place," Lewis declared before leaving.

Ellie looked at the photo of the girls and notices something, "Maisie had a necklace."

"Yeah?" Alec asked.

"I don't think it was in the list of possessions when their bodies were brought in."

"Was it not found in with the clothes?"

"No. It could have dropped anywhere though."

"Could have dropped anywhere?"

"Between the place where they died and where they were found."

"The car. We need to get a warrant because Brian said that there should be some chalk deposits on the wheels."

"You want me to get a warrant for both Lisa and Phillip's car?"

"Yes, absolutely."

Ellie ran to call the Magistrates Court, only to find her phone was running low on battery. Groaning, she went to plug in the charger, only she felt a massive jolt and burning sensation, and flew backwards into her desk, hitting her head in the process.

"Ellie!" she heard the distorted voice of her panicked husband running to her. She shut her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Ellie, look at me love."

"Alec..." she croaked.

"GET AN AMBULANCE!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Alec paced up and down the hospital corridor, trying to calm himself of the worry he had about his wife's condition. They had said she suffered an electric shock and a head injury and had to take her down for a CT scan. Suddenly, a doctor appeared out the room Ellie was being examined in, "She's going to be fine. Just a few minor burns and concussion. She was lucky it was only for a second."

"Oh thank god."

"We'll have to keep her in under observation, especially considering her condition."

"What condition?"

"You are aware she's almost four months pregnant right?"

"What?"

"Yeah, she not tell you?"

"She thought she was going through bloody menopause." Alec raked his fingers through his hair. "Fuck."

"You need some water?"

"No, can I see her?"

"Yes you may in a moment."

"Four months?"

"Take it you weren't trying?"

"No."

"Well, I leave you to tell her. She might be a little confused, but that might be because of the head injury."

Alec nodded and pushed the door open. Ellie looked like she'd been through the wars with a bandage around her left arm and massive bruise forming where her head collided with the desk. She seemed wide awake though.

Alec sat on the edge of the bed, and kissed her forehead.

"Head hurts," she whimpered.

"I know love. You're okay though. Doctors just want to keep you in, monitor your head."

"You called the kids?"

"Yeah. Tom's a little worried so I'll call him in a moment, tell him you're alright. El, the doctors found something that might have been causing your problems."

"Menopause?"

"Quite the opposite actually."

"What?"

"Ellie, you're pregnant."

Ellie took a moment to register what he had told her before scrunching her face in confusion, "What? I can't be."

"Apparently you are. Nearly four months."

"No, no, I can't be."

"Do you want me to get you a doctor?"

"Yes."

-o-

Ellie was still stunned when she looked at the screen showing the new inhabitant of her uterus. It was clearly a baby. A baby with a very strong heartbeat. Alec looked equally as stunned as he gripped her hand. The technician declared the baby looked healthy and told them congratulations. They could only mumble their thanks, still trying to process the last hour.

"Brian's birthday," Ellie whispered hoarsely. "When we had sex in the car and forwent the condom."

"You sure about that?"

"We were pissed out of our minds. A condom was the furthest thing to think about." She rolled over to face Alec properly. "What are we going to do?"

"It's your choice Ellie."

"I'm not going to get rid of him. I can't."

"Then we do have to think about the practical stuff."

"Well, he can share with Lauren once he's old enough. Not as though she needs all that space." Ellie groaned. "Why did I not see this sooner? Here's me thinking it was just menopause."

"Well, can't blame you."

"You saying I am old Mr Hardy? You're five years older than me. More inclined to be a grandfather than a new dad again."

Alec smiled. Ellie smiled back. He kissed her softly, "I love you El. You and the little one in there. I'm just so glad you're okay. I was so scared earlier."

"I know. I love you too. So what do you think? Boy or girl?"

"Dunno, don't care either way. Not as though I am deprived of either with Tom and Fred."

"I think it might be a boy."

"You said that about Lauren."

"True. I thought Tom and Fred were going to be girls. We'll find out soon enough."

-o-

Ellie had been cleared to go home the next morning. Given she couldn't sleep, it gave her some time to think about the Fred situation. He was just a little boy, a little boy who loved his father more than anything. It probably would be in their favour: no matter whose blood Fred shared, Fred had only really known Alec as his father. He barely recognised Joe when he tried to plead his innocence. So, while she was no longer stressed about her health, she thought it would be best to finally get rid of the demons and tell Fred the truth.

While Tom kept Lauren occupied in the kitchen, Alec and Ellie sat down with Fred between them.

"Okay wee mate, your mum and I just want to have a talk with you."

"Have I done something naughty?"

"No, sweetheart," Ellie replied. "Fred, do you remember a bald man when you were little?" Fred shook his head. "He's your dad."

Fred blinked confused before saying, "No. Dad is here."

Ellie looked to Alec for help but Alec couldn't correct Fred. He had made his own mind up that Fred would be too young to understand. Ellie bit her lip and they both silently agreed that they would sit him down when he was old enough to understand.

"Can I go now?" Fred asked.

Ellie nodded and Fred went to the kitchen. Ellie groaned inwardly, "You're right. He's too young."

"I don't want him to know if I'm honest. I mean Tom already got screwed up, worrying he was going to end up like Joe. I don't want Fred to worry like that."

"Me neither."

"You still have that letter from Joe?"

"Yeah."

"Give it here." Ellie dug in her bag and handed it to Alec. Rather than opening it, Alec ripped it. "This is the last time we let him get to us. We tried to tell Fred the truth but now we leave it up to him. At the moment, he's either too young or he doesn't care. If he asks me when he is older, I am not going to lie to him. Right now, we have to keep our family together."

Ellie nodded, trying not to cry, "Yeah. I thought getting it out in the open would help but it was only going to confuse him. If it comes, it comes. We'll deal with it if and when."

Alec nodded and pulled her in for a hug. Just as Ellie hummed contently, Alec's phone rang.

It was Lewis, "Sir, the DBS came back. It's got a lot of issues you need to look at."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

With Ellie being put on rest for a week, Alec was a cop short but they at least were on the track to solving these murders. Which meant Ellie in her stubbornness decided she wasn't going to sit back and not have a clue about what was happening.

"Whoa, Ellie, what you doing here?" Alec asked when she walked into CID.

"I can't sit at home knowing we're this close," Ellie answered. "I know I had a knock on the head but we're this close to getting them."

"It's not that..." Alec took her hand and pulled her into his office and closed the blinds. "I'm just worried you'll overdo it. You're pregnant and had suffered an electric shock."

"I'm fine. Honestly, I know you are a worry wart, but you have nothing to worry about."

"I was scared yesterday. Sorry. I just couldn't bear it if something happened to you."

"And vis versa, but I am a big girl Alec. You have to trust me." Alec sighed and put a tender kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Now we have a case to solve and we need to thank Lewis for holding the fort. Thank god she called Magistrates so we can get this car looked at."

"What was she saying about the DBS?"

"I haven't got to that yet. She was just briefing me on what had happened so far."

"Well, let's hear what she has to say."

Back in the main room, Lewis began to explain her findings, "So, it turns out that they weren't entirely checked out properly, or the head hired them regardless. Petty theft and drug possession on their criminal records."

"And our kids go to this school," Ellie commented in slight annoyance. She was going to have to take it up with the board of governors because of this severe negligent act by the person supposed to be in charge of the kids' wellbeing.

"Any violent crime?" asked Alec.

"Not that we are aware of. You think it's them?"

"Evidence is circumstantial at the moment Lewis. Until we look in that car."

"Good news is that the warrant came through."

"Outstanding Lewis. Out-bloody-standing!"

-o-

"Warrant. Here. Car. Open. Now," Alec ordered Hordly and the man reluctantly opened the boot. Alec's gloved hands found what he was looking for: a gold chain necklace. "Oh, and look what we have here: chalk deposits on the tire. Care to explain?"

"I want a lawyer."

Back at the station, Ellie was glaring daggers into Hordly's brain as he sat opposite her and Alec. The burn under her bandage was itching like mad but she refrained the urge to scratch. She had more pressing matters to attend to.

"For the benefit of the tape, I am showing Mr Hordly a necklace and a photo of Maisie Jenning wearing the same necklace," Ellie said firmly as she pushed the evidence bag forward. "The necklace was found in the boot of your car this afternoon. Why is that?"

"No comment."

Alec rolled his eyes. If he was going to keep using his right to silence then Alec was going to snap, "There was also chalk deposits on the wheels of the car. The same chalk deposits that were in the area where the girls were found."

"No comment."

"Look, I am going to come out and say it: did you kill the girls?" Ellie asked.

"No."

"Someone did," Alec commented. "If you didn't then who did? I mean the necklace was found in your car, the car that had been near chalk deposits in the woods where the girls were found. Explain to me how that was possible."

There was an awkward silence between the three of them. Ellie is reminded of Lee Ashworth before his confession. Despite the masculine presence, it was as though he was scared, guilty and uncertain at the same time. It was then Ellie came to a sudden realisation.

She took a deep breath and told him, "You may not have killed the girls, but you know who was involved. You're scared of whoever has done it. I think you helped the killer cover up, which makes you guilty by association. We can make this easy. You'll get a shorter sentence, but you do need to tell us what happened to those girls."

Hordly finally looked them in the eye, "Right I will tell you exactly what happened. Lisa and I had a fight. I went out to cool off. When I came back to the house, I decided to have a shower. Only Zoe was lying in the bath. She wasn't moving. I tried to give her CPR but it was no use."

"How did she get in the bath?" Alec asked, his tone filled with dread, shock and curiousness.

"Lisa told me she slipped. I think Lisa must have snapped and killed her first. Then when Maisie started asking questions, she was… I don't know. Smothered. Couldn't see bruises on her neck." Ellie and Alec found themselves in shock and unable to speak, so let him finish. "When I finally saw Lisa, she was acting normally. She treated the girls as though they were stains on the carpet. I don't know what I did to Lisa to cause her to snap so hard and kill those girls, but I was frightened. She was methodical. She told me to put the girls in bin bags and then in the boot of the car. She then told me to drive as far as I could out the town and get rid of the bodies. I did what I was told so that I wouldn't be next."

After a few moments silence, Alec finally terminated the interview. Ellie quietly excused herself, before running straight for the toilets. She usually had more composure but the queasiness coming from the combination of the head injury and pregnancy resulted in her throwing up in the nearest basin.

"Ellie?" Alec's voice was soft, like the time he told her Joe had killed Danny and any time after that where he had been a source of comfort to her. "You okay?"

"Does it bloody sound like I am okay?" she snapped. Once she was certain her stomach had been emptied, she flushed the toilet and went to rinse her mouth out in the sink. "Why would she do that? You said that anyone was capable of murder under the right circumstances. What circumstances did she have? It was just a bloody fight. It was hardly worth killing two innocent girls for."

"I know. I sent Lewis out to arrest Lisa. Maybe she will give us answers but I doubt we'll get much out of her."

Ellie rested her back against the wall, subconsciously rubbing her stomach, "Always a murder."

Alec was confused, "Always a murder what?"

"Always a murder that comes at the most important time of our lives. I met you over the body of by son's best friend, put there by my husband. We got together after we solved the murders committed by a thirteen year old girl. I told you I was pregnant with Lauren when you were in the middle of a murder trial. Here I am having your baby again whilst solving a murder. I'm surprised our wedding didn't result in one."

"Maybe it's all a coincidence."

"It probably is. Or maybe someone is trying to tell me to look for the positives in life. Thought there isn't anything positive about how we met and why I divorced Joe. I didn't even like you back then." Ellie tried to hold back the tears. "It'll be five years this year. Since Danny died and we met."

"I know." Alec paused. "You ever have regrets about us?"

"Never. I stopped blaming myself a long time ago. Probably the second I yelled at Tom that he was being stupid for purging himself in court. I shouldn't have to stop living my life because of Joe, and you were right earlier when you said he shouldn't have hold of us. So I don't know, maybe all this is a sign telling us that life moves on."

Alec sighed and leaned back against the dividing wall of the toilet cubicles. After a moment he stood up straight and asked, "Do you want a hug?"

Ellie smiled a bit, "Always."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

It was quiet in the interview room. Lisa came across rather aloof and cold and Ellie was not even certain how to approach the question as to what caused Lisa to snap and kill two girls.

Alec had no such qualms, "You need to tell us because we have to understand why you killed Zoe and Maisie." Lisa shrugged. "You killed two girls in a rage after a fight that didn't seem that painful. So can you please explain it to me because I don't understand why you would do that?"

Lisa thought for a moment and then resigned herself to her fate, "I did it in the hope you'd think it was Phillip. He deserved nothing after what he has done. I have spent years with that man. Years of being manipulated, beaten, watching him fuck around with other women. I thought if I could just get him away, locked up, then I'd be safe."

"Only you'd have the deaths of two girls on your conscience," Ellie spoke surprisingly calm. Alec could sense there was some bottled rage in there. "Why did you not just tell the police? We could have helped."

"That wouldn't have been strong enough revenge. I could have faked my own death but it would not have been enough. And I am sorry."

Rather than hurling her rage physically at Lisa, Ellie spat her rage into a simple sentence, "Sorry is not good enough for what you did."

Ellie terminated the interview and walked slowly to her office. Her head was throbbing and she was exhausted. She looked at the photo of Zoe and Maisie. Two more innocent lives wasted because of someone's selfishness.

"You can't deny they don't deserve one another," Alec commented leaning against the door. "Bit like Lee and Claire."

"And it cost the lives of innocent children," Ellie replied, her voice somber. "That's twisted. Killing two girls and framing the boyfriend."

"Well, CPS are putting all evidence under consideration at the moment. Should hear back first thing."

"I want to go home. I want to sleep."

"Okay, let's go home."

-o-

They came home to a surprise: Daisy had finished her exams and had wanted to come home for the week. It gave them the perfect opportunity to reveal their little surprise, and the kids weren't the least bit shocked.

"Wait you knew?" Ellie asked.

"Well, we had a feeling," Daisy answered. "We didn't want to ask in case we were wrong. It's just that some Greek lady asked me how far along you were because you gave off an air of fertility apparently."

"Was she saying I was fat?"

"Um... Yeah," Tom replied nervously. "I mean your stomach wasn't the flattest."

"You try to get a flat stomach after three kids."

"I take it you lot are fine with it," Alec imputed.

"Duh," Daisy and Tom replied simultaneously.

"Duh," Lauren repeated, not certain what the term actually meant.

Alec actually couldn't help but laugh at the way Lauren said it. Ellie looked as though she was going to have to berate Tom for what words he used around his sister given part of her repertoire consisted of cow, sod, bugger, arse and, to the horror of Alec, bitch.

"What? It's not swearing," Tom justified. "At least it's not the f-word."

-o-

"CPS agreed to press charges," Lewis announced. "Lisa has been charged on two counts of murder. Hordly was charged with aiding and abetting and perverting the course of justice. Can't prove he was physically violent with Lisa."

"That's great, Lewis. You can go," Alec told her. "You did good work on this Lewis. Well done."

Lewis nodded and left his office. Ellie leaned against his desk and smiled weakly.

"You never tell me I do good work," she told him.

"I do, but in my own way."

"I don't think 'ta El' is enough."

"I do more than that." Alec strode over to the door and locked it. He closed the blinds slowly. "I think you know how much I appreciate you."

"This is going to be more than a snog in the office isn't it?" Ellie asked knowing what her husband intended. It made her smile.

Alec picked her up and placed her on the desk, "You would be absolutely correct DI Brant."

Ellie giggled and kissed him lavishly.

-o-

 _Six months later_

Five years earlier, a small town was changed forever with the death of a boy by the hands of a man only out to protect himself.

Yet life went on as normal, albeit slowly. They always remembered Danny on the anniversary of his death, and five was a significant one. In what seemed like so little time, so much had changed.

Even after all the Latimers had been through, little Lizzie couldn't hold the marriage together. Nobody seemed surprised at this, but they were civil enough to share custody of Lizzie. Chloe had finally decided that she was going to university once she finally buckled down and got her grades up. Like Daisy, she was about to enter her second year, only Daisy was at York and Chloe was closer to home at Southampton.

Daisy had arrived back in time for her second baby sister to enter the world. Evelyn Jessica Hardy, named for Ellie's grandmother and Alec's mother, was now two months old and thriving.

Alec doted on her like his other four. Ellie got hit with postnatal depression a lot more than what she anticipated, almost hating herself for not loving Evelyn as soon as they put her squirming body on her chest. It was fortunate she had Alec, Tom and Daisy being a great deal of support and Ellie recovered almost effortlessly, without needing to take pills.

Though she did tell Alec he was getting a vasectomy. They were getting too old to have more kids after Evelyn. Alec agreed after the stress the pregnancy had put them under. Ellie spent the last month on bed rest due to pre-eclampsia, with Alec freaking out if she ever twitched. Ellie had to have a c-section because she was on the risky end.

Still, they were both healthy now and on the beach where they met. Daisy and Tom were playing with Fred and Lauren while Alec and Ellie were cuddling on the picnic blanket. Evelyn was nestled comfortably in Ellie's arms, dreaming without a care.

"You know, you've not given her a pet name," Ellie commented. "If Daisy is darling, Lauren is sweetheart, what's Evelyn?"

"I've given her a pet name, haven't I honey?" he asked stroking his daughter's fist.

"You just come up with that."

"No I didn't."

"I've never heard you call her honey. It's always Wee Evie."

"You're usually asleep when I do it."

Ellie rolled her eyes. The one thing that never changed was the bickering. There had been the odd moment where Ellie had been tempt to piss in a cup and throw it at him, but the moments of reconciliation were worth it.

They had been through divorcing their ex-partners, murders, remarrying, Daisy's disputes with her mother, Joe's unsuccessful attempts at getting his sons and Ellie back, the death of Alec's father, and the two complicated births of their daughters.

Stewart Hardy gave Alec some sage advice before he died. Mostly about trying not to find closure but focus on loving Ellie, Daisy, Tom, Fred and what was then an unborn Lauren.

It was probably the only bit of advice from his father Alec listened to. And he never stopped loving his family. Never stop loving Ellie and never will stop loving her.

The End


End file.
